Red Sox are getting ready to try again but with a new manager this year. Bobby Valentine is the new skipper for the 2012 Red Sox and has had a very competitive and serious approach to spring training so far. This could be a new Red Sox team that is eager to win. It will be nice to see a more serious and competitive team on the field this year... after all, it's the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park.

There was doubt whether Derek Jeter would play his 2,403rd game for the Yankees on Monday -- not that the captain is particularly counting.

Jeter played down the significance of his latest franchise milestone as he passed Mickey Mantle's games record with his 2,402nd outing for the Bronx Bombers in the first game of Sunday's day-night doubleheader in Baltimore.

"I don't even think you're aware of anything like that," Jeter said, according to MLB.com. "When you first come up, you're just trying to keep your job and stay here as long as you can."

Compared with the excitement at his 3,000th hit, Jeter suggested the appearance record was not something of great significance.

"I don't think people get called up and look at, 'Let me see who has the games-played record for the organization.' So this one was something I never looked at. No one ever talked about it," he said.

While reluctant to pop open the champagne, the achievement at least allowed the shortstop to reflect on his longevity.

"I take pride in coming and doing my job. I think that's probably the best way to put it," Jeter said. "My job is obviously to come and play games, try to stay on the field and try to stay healthy. I've done it for a long time, I guess."

Ironically, a bruised right knee may keep him from the Yankees lineup Monday after he missed Sunday's 8-3 night victory over the Orioles, having sustained the injury in the earlier game.

Jeter was a late scratch, while Alex Rodriguez also was sidelined with a sprained left thumb.

"We need to get them healthy," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, according to MLB.com. "It is somewhat of a concern, but hopefully neither one of them will be out very long. I don't know if we'll have either one of them (Monday)."

And that’s just what Baltimore Orioles infielder Robert Andino did last night at Target Field, shagging Justin Morneau’s high floater into foul territory and snagging it with his glove-less right hand during Baltimore’s 6-1 trump over the hapless Twinkies. A spectacular play, to be sure, but what I like most about it is Andino’s style, his flair for the dramatic, all the while flying in the face of convention and all that jazz. Good for you, Robert Andino. You are a true individual.

The pilot of the Toronto Blue Jays John Farrell had such confidence in his starter Luis Perez who left the mound to get out of the quagmire slam in which he got, despite that victory depended on it.

The Dominican 26 years took over the task calmly, as if he had done many times.

Perez pitched six innings Sunday in his brilliant first major league start and, along with Casey Janssen, allowed one hit to the Oakland Athletics to a 1-0 defeat. Compatriot Jose Bautista provided the only run in the seventh with his 36th homer, the highest in the majors.

"I felt great, not tired," Perez said after the game. "I was glad he trusted me to throw and ended the inning with the bases loaded."

Perez (3-2) allowed no runners on base until Cliff Pennington was a ticket on five pitches to start the sixth. Jemil Weeks singled and then loaded the bases, but Perez Coco Crisp forced to fall into a double play which was his last pitch of the game.

The left-hander had 29 native Guayubín outputs as a reliever this season, but was starter throughout his minor league career.

"He's a guy who has confidence," said catcher JP Arencibia. "If you're going to win, will fall by attacking the opposition."

Perez struck out four and walked two in a performance of 80 pitches. Confused the Oakland hitters with a fastball that moved in the air and also used his changeup from time to time.

It was a solid performance of a pitcher who did not work more than four innings since May 15 when he played in the Triple-A In his major league career, only had eight outputs of two or more entries.

Perez said he did not think about having a perfect game nor a hitless, but keep focused on attacking the rival batsmen.

"I had not had an opening and did not know how long it would last," he said. "I stayed mentally strong. Each entry threw better and better. I kept attacking hitters and throwing strikes."

In Saint Petersburg, Florida, the good performance of another pitcher not enough to win: Michael Pineda was a flash of efficiency in another dark day for the Seattle Mariners.

Johnny Damon lost in the seventh inning grand slam after the umpires watched the video replay, but in the ninth hit the decisive homer in the 8-7 victory for Tampa Bay over the Mariners.

Pineda rookie allowed two earned runs and six hits over six innings. Prescribed five strikeouts, which reached 148 in 147 innings this season.

"We had to do to launch more speed changes to its development," said catcher Josh Bard from Seattle. "Where we obviously wanted to make that pitch. We feel like when (as Felix) Hernandez began to take off."

Damon in the ninth the first release of Dan Cortes (0-2) and sent it to the right field bleachers to make it your 11th homer of the season.

"(Cortes) simply left the pitch very high," he said Seattle manager Eric Wedge.

The Rays were down 5-4 in the seventh when Damon homered ligated between the right center. At first it was considered a home run, but the umpires changed their decision to a three-run double after reviewing the video. TV replays showed the decision was correct.

Jamey Wright lasted only a third of an inning in relief of Pineda. He gave three bases on balls, allowed one hit and four runs that connected the Rays scored in the seventh.

"Within a year, possibly, we put (Pineda) an additional input," said Wedge.

The pilot said that 94 launches "was enough for him. That point is exactly where we are and where he is."

In other results Sunday, in the American League, Detroit beat Cleveland 8-7, Boston 6-1 to Kansas City, the New York Yankees 3-0 to Minnesota, Chicago White Sox 10-0 to Texas and the Los Angeles Angels 7-1 to Baltimore.

Jorge Jacobo struck out 12 batters, and the team from Mexico on Thursday inaugurated the Little League World Series with a 3-0 win over Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

The right of 12 years launched a pitching gem and struck out the last five batters he faced. This is the first time a team from Taiwan is bleached in 55 games that representatives of the island have played in the series.

The Mexican team scored two runs in the top of the first inning when Carlos Arellano singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. James towed it with a double, then scored on an RBI single by Alonso García.

James brought his own cause by hitting 3-1 with two runs scored.

And like a Major League player with the experience to temper his remarks, the pitcher 12 years shared the merit of his memorable evening with their peers.

"My teammates gave me help at the beginning and that improved my confidence," said James.

Chia Hao Ko struck out five and allowed six hits to load with the back over Taiwan.

In another match, Billings won 6-4 to Rapid City South Dakota. Billings is the first Montana State team that participates in the Little League World Series.

McKenzie Cole drove in two runs with a double to give the victory to Billings.

In addition, the team of Hamamatsu, Japan, crushed 12-1 to Oranjestad, Aruba. The event had special meaning for Japanese children, after a survivor of the earthquake and tsunami this year made the first pitch.

"I told the boys that they should appreciate being here to play," said manager Akihiro Suzuki. "I should teach them to keep working hard and know that this is just a sport.

The series of Major League weekend left Jose Bautista and Albert Pujols home run leaders in their respective leagues to become the stars of the day.

The power of the American bats were present and shone again in the majors, allowing Bautista to regain the lead in the AL and helping Pujols to premiere the first in that paragraph in the NL.

Bautista returned power to his bat and hit the full turn for the first time since August 4, not only to regain the lead in homers, but to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Angels 5-4 in Los Angeles.

The outfielder hit homer for the Blue Jays, and with his homer, Bautista (34) takes the lead in the majors in that paragraph, just one day after being tied for Curtis Granderson (33), the Yankees York.

Former baseball player Roberto Alomar gives a speech to the audience of the Rogers Centre during the ceremony to withdraw his number (12) before the game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, July 31, 2011 in Toronto.

Escorted by two members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and flattered by the applause, the former baseball player Roberto Alomar went to the center of the stadium on Sunday as his number 12 was retired by the Toronto Blue Jays.

The new Hall of Fame Major League participated in 12 All-Star Games and 10 times won the Gold Glove is the first Blue Jays player whose number is retired in the 35-year history of the franchise.

Alomar played only five seasons in Toronto, but those were the glory years of the team. The Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, looking Alomar at second base.

Alomar made a speech to the public before the game against the Texas Rangers. While their numbers were unveiled at a blue banner at the top of the center of Rogers Centre, a fan yelled, "I love you, Robbie." Without thinking twice, Alomar said, "I love you, too. I love you all."

On a stage set up in center field, right in front of a giant number 12 covering second base, Alomar was accompanied by his parents, former manager "Cito" Gaston, president and general manager Paul Beeston, and former teammates.

Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Alomar reflected on his career and two titles with Toronto.

"As a kid I never imagined that my number would be retired," he told an audience of 45,629 fans. "We just played the game I love. My parents taught me that no matter how much money you earn, how much success one has or how famous one is, must always act with humility, as I have done."

This week has been a whirlwind for Alomar, who along with former general manager Pat Gillick was the Blue Jays elected new Hall of Fame last weekend, becoming the first player to receive this appointment wearing the uniform of the Blue Jays.

"This is a day to remember for the rest of my life," Alomar said after the ceremony. "

The Major League Baseball and put on sackcloth world to know the death of former Japanese star pitcher Hideki Irabu, who was found dead in a suburban residence of Rancho Palos Verdes, a suburb of Los Angeles (California).

Irabu, 42, was found dead by a friend who called the police to take over the body, so far without known causes of death, but the case has been opened as an apparent suicide .

According to information provided by the police, it appears that the former pitcher for the Yankees pulled off the same life.

Irabu lived in Rancho Palos Verdes, a luxury residential suburb, located 35 miles outside of Los Angeles, but has not disclosed whether the body was found in his house, nor were details of the tragic event revealed.

It is hoped that the coroner's office in Los Angeles announced in the coming days the circumstances in which the death occurred after this weekend conducting the autopsy, but the police investigation is already working on the hypothesis of an apparent suicide.

Former Major League driver, Bobby Valentine, currently working as a commentator for ESPN television and gave Irabu in Japan in 1995, said he heard the news with great sadness because he knew the former pitcher and was a great person.

Irabu was considered the Japanese Nolan Ryan in 1997, when he came to America. But after a great debut with the Yankees in the summer of that year, never came close to meeting such expectations.

When his arm was in full power was unique and could not make contact with the ball.

However, Irabu was left with a mark of 34-35 and 5.15 ERA after pitching three seasons with the Yankees, then played two years with the Montreal Expos and missing more as a reliever with the Texas Rangers in 2002.

Irabu played with two teams the Yankees were crowned World Series, but his only action in the postseason was in relief in the NLCS in 1999, when Boston Red Sox hit him 13 hits.

The arrival of Irabu and Hideo Nomo to the majors was very important for other Japanese players follow his example and established themselves as star players.

As has happened with Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners and Hideki Matsui, who currently plays with the Oakland Athletics.

Orlando Hudson, the San Diego Padres, is helped off the field after losing consciousness while trying to catch a ball and crashed into a wall in the game against the Florida Marlins on Thursday, July 21, 2011

Orlando Hudson, the second baseman for the San Diego Padres, recovered quickly from unconsciousness on Thursday after hitting a wall.

Hudson was taken out on a stretcher on board of a vehicle and placed a collar around his neck. But shortly after his team beat Florida 5-3, the player walked into the locker room and sent text messages from your phone.

The second baseman was taken to hospital and x-rays came back negative.

A team spokesman said that although Hudson did not address the team's private plane and joined the Padres in Philadelphia and his health status is considered day to day.

"It was a frightening time," said manager Bud Black. "When a player is unconscious, you worry. Any collision with a wall or a partner causes an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, and I think we all feel that."

After Hudson leaned forward to catch a ball in foul territory, his momentum carried him to the padded wall. He turned just before it impacted and because of that his neck and right shoulder were the worst impact.

Hudson fell on his back with the ball in his glove. The umpire Tim Timmons called out the batter and immediately called for help.

The Red Sox are looking for another pitcher for the rotation to ensure that there is constantly a quality pitcher on the mound for every game. Injuries have caught up with the Red Sox who have managed to win games through a rotation period which has seen many different pitchers. The Red Sox have been relying on offense to win games, but they know that they need pitching and defense as well as offense to win games.

The Cincinnati Reds are also said to have strong interest in Ubaldo Jimenez who is having an "okay" year in Colorado. Jimenez is 5-8 including 2 complete games and 1 shutout with a 4.08 ERA. In 2010, Jimenez was an all-star, finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young voting and also finished in the top 25 for NL MVP voting after finishing 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA on the 2010 season.

Dustin Pedroia was the hero last night as he managed to be "The Muddy Chicken " that won the game last night.It was a long and scoreless game last night but very beautiful as the pitchers did they best they could to get players out. After 5 hours and 44 minutes, Dustin Pedroia managed to hit a RBI single into the right that led Reddick to score.

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has been suspended four games and fined an undiclosed amount for his altercation with Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg on Friday night at Fenway Park.

Gregg received the same four-game suspension.

Orioles pitcher Mike Gonzalez, who threw behind Ortiz on Sunday, received a three-game suspension and a fine as well. As a result, manager Buck Showalter will serve a one-game suspension on Thursday night.

Ortiz will begin serving his suspension Friday night in Tampa, unless he decides to appeal his suspension. Ortiz appealed a suspension in 2004, getting a five-game punishment reduced to three games.

On September 30th, 1989, Jose Cano pitched his last game in a big league ballpark. The 27-year old from the small city of San Pedro de Marcoris in the Domincan Republic had spent his entire life trying to reach the Major Leagues, and now he had finally achieved his goal.

Throughout his six appearances that fateful season, Cano gathered a lifetime of memories that he would eventually bestow upon his young son, Robinson. Now, 22 years later, Robinson was offered a chance to repay his father on the grandest stage with one final memory that would top them all.

As the All-Star Yankee second basemen rallied past Boston's Adrian Gonzalez with a record-setting final round to claim the 2011 Home Run Derby title, there Jose was, pitching in a big league ballpark like it was 1989. As Robinson's final titanic blast sailed over the right-center field stands, the two met in the middle of the infield, embracing in a bear hug that meant more than anyone on that field could understand.

"The best thing is not my swing, it's the gentleman that was throwing B.P., my dad," Robinson said, as Jose stood by his side reveling in the post-event glory. "I want to tell him he's one of the best fathers, thank him for the support and making me who I am today."

Sports are inherently about incredible stories. That's what keeps us watching year after year, disappointment after disappointment. Who would have thought that here, at an exhibition event that doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, we would have the pleasure of witnessing such a perfect example of the power that sports can provide.

With a record tying final round in the books, Adrian Gonzalez was assured that the title of 2011 Homerun Derby Champion was all his. Little could he have expected, the freight train that was Robinson Cano would put on a historic performance that would instantly demote the incredible day of work the Boston All-Star had.

Leading into the Homerun Derby, Vegas pegged Gonzalez as an 11/2 underdog despite the fact that the former San Diego Padre knew the ins-and-outs of Chase Field like the back of his hand, having played within its confines a countless number of times. That knowledge paid off immediately, as Gonzalez crushed nine and eleven homeruns in the first two rounds. By the time eliminations rolled by, the Red Sox first basemen sat tied at the top of the leaderboard with an incredible 20 homeruns, most of them towering, highlight-reel shots that stunned the Arizona crowd.

That momentum continued once the final round commenced, as Gonzalez rolled to a record tying 11 dingers. Throughout the performance his blasts scattered across the park in spectacular fashion. Left field, center field, right field; it didn't matter, he touched them all. In the end, no one could have anticipated the force of nature that Cano would become, but that shouldn't marginalize the amazing show the newest Red Sox All-Star put on.

A few years back, maybe five or six as Derek Jeter(notes) remembers, the shortstop sat in a spring training clubhouse examining a New York Yankees media guide with a few teammates. As they scrolled through the records section they noticed something startling: Never in the great, glorious history of the franchise had there been a player who had 3,000 hits as a Yankee.

Not Babe Ruth. Not Lou Gehrig. Not Joe DiMaggio.

And right there Jeter had to understand the legacy he could own on a franchise loaded with legends, several of whom were considered better players than he. The Yankees might have a garden of monuments dedicated to home run champions and triple crown winners, but none had 3,000 Yankee hits. That distinction alone would belong to Jeter as long as he stayed healthy.

This season, the top selling baseball tickets have been for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees... surprised? Neither am I. Other teams that have made appearances on the top 10 for sports tickets sold according to TicketNews.com.... Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and a few others.

Fenway Park is still actively adding to it's own record for most consecutive sell-outs. If you want Boston Red Sox Tickets, you'll have to find them on Fenway Ticket King or offer somebody a kidney or liver!

The Red Sox and Yankees are battling for the AL East lead. Boston has 1 more game against Philadelphia before a trip to Houston to take on the Astros. Then a 3 game series at Fenway Park against the Blue Jays and a 4 game home series against Baltimore before the All Star Break. Hopefully the Sox will walk away with at least 6 out of 8 games remaining.